7th Circ. Halts Order Releasing Hundreds Of ICE Detainees

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit on Thursday paused two Chicago federal court rulings ordering the release on bond of hundreds of civil immigration detainees arrested during the Trump administration's surge of immigration enforcement operations in Illinois.

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Ex-Ill. Speaker Madigan Disbarred After Bribery Conviction

By Celeste Bott

The Illinois Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday disbarring former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who consented to the disbarment after he was convicted earlier this year on charges claiming he used his official position to steer business to his now-defunct personal law firm.

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Transgender National Guard Civilian Sues Over Restroom Rule

By Rae Ann Varona

A transgender woman who works as a civilian employee for the Illinois National Guard lodged a putative class action Thursday in D.C. federal court, challenging the Trump administration's policy prohibiting transgender employees from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.

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FTC Withdraws In-House GTCR Merger Case

By Matthew Perlman

The Federal Trade Commission withdrew its administrative case challenging GTCR BC Holdings LLC's acquisition of a medical coatings supplier to consider whether to drop the case entirely after an Illinois federal judge refused to put the merger on hold.

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Investment Adviser Admits 2-Year Client Swindling Scheme

By Lauraann Wood

An investment adviser charged with running a two-year fraud scheme in which he convinced investors to put money toward non-existent business opportunities admitted Thursday that he is guilty of the government's allegations.

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State AGs Want Further HPE-Juniper Integration Barred

By Bryan Koenig

The Democratic state attorneys general challenging the controversial U.S. Department of Justice settlement clearing Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks want a California federal judge to bar the companies from "further integration" while they push the court to reject the deal outright.

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Ill. Justices Back Walgreens In Receipt Class Standing Fight

By Lauraann Wood

A Walgreens customer looking to hold the company liable for allegedly printing too much financial information on consumers' receipts should not have won class certification in her case because she lacked standing to bring her claims, the Illinois Supreme Court said Thursday.

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States Back Hockey Players In Antitrust Fight Over Contracts

By Elaine Briseño

More than a dozen states have thrown their support behind current and former players in an antitrust lawsuit against the National Hockey League and its pipeline junior organizations, arguing a lower court's dismissal ignores how exclusive recruiting territories reduce competition for labor.

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How Store Brand Evolution May Influence IP Cases

A consumer shift toward private-label grocery products has spurred a recent crop of lawsuits, like Smuckers v. Trader Joe's, and parties must be prepared to carefully analyze consumer confusion in the grocery retailing context, as well as expectations and behavior, say Justin LaTorraca, Elizabeth Milsark and Laura O’Laughlin at Analysis Group.

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Rule Amendments Pave Path For A Privilege Claim 'Offensive'

Litigators should consider leveraging forthcoming amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which will require early negotiations of privilege-related discovery claims, by taking an offensive posture toward privilege logs at the outset of discovery, says David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law.

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Series

My Miniature Livestock Farm Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Raising miniature livestock on my farm, where I am fully present with the animals, is an almost meditative time that allows me to return to work invigorated, ready to juggle numerous responsibilities and motivated to tackle hard issues in new ways, says Ted Kobus at BakerHostetler.

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Bonus Spotlight

Law Firms Begin Upping The Ante For Associate Bonuses

By Tracey Read

Trial boutique Wilkinson Stekloff LLP is exceeding the year-end associate bonus scale set by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, announcing bonuses late Wednesday that are 150% of market.

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CFPB Will Shift Remaining Lawsuits Over To DOJ

By Jon Hill

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be handing off its enforcement lawsuits and other litigation to the U.S. Department of Justice as the Trump administration prepares for the consumer agency to run out of money, Law360 has learned.

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Analysis

Trump's Epstein Directive Puts SDNY Prosecutor In A 'Pickle'

By Phillip Bantz

Manhattan chief federal prosecutor Jay Clayton appears to have been backed into a "horrible" corner with a "no-win" outcome as a result of a directive from President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's ties to prominent Democrats, experts say.

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Comey Says DOJ's Conduct 'Shocks The Conscience'

By Hailey Konnath

James Comey on Thursday reiterated his request that the U.S. Department of Justice be forced to disclose all grand jury materials related to his indictment, noting the government has conceded that the grand jury never saw the operative indictment and saying the purported misconduct "shocks the conscience."

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NJ Panel Expands Scope Of Ex-Reed Smith Atty's Bias Claims

By Rose Krebs

A New Jersey appellate panel on Thursday ruled that a former Reed Smith LLP attorney is entitled to pursue more damages and obtain expanded wage data in her gender discrimination suit against the firm, saying a trial court incorrectly applied certain statutes when it limited the damages and data she could seek.

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X Corp. Ends $90M Fee Suit Against Wachtell

By James Mills

X Corp. has ended its California state lawsuit against Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz over $90 million in legal fees tied to the fight over Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, according to a court filing.

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Analysis

Meta Loss Shows Time Not On Enforcers' Side In Tech Cases

By Bryan Koenig

Meta's triumph over a Federal Trade Commission antitrust case Tuesday hinged on a D.C. federal judge's finding that the company lacks a monopoly in the present day, highlighting some of the challenges of using slow-moving litigation to challenge fast-moving markets.

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Senate Panel OKs Miss. Judge, US Atty Nominees After Delay

By Courtney Bublé

After weeks of holdup, nominees for Mississippi federal courts and U.S. attorneys were voted out of committee on Thursday, following an impasse between Republican senators.

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Brief

Senate Passes Bill To Protect State Judges From Threats

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to beef up security for state and local judges.

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DOJ Antitrust Chief Says Agriculture A 'Top Priority'

By Matthew Perlman

The U.S. Department of Justice's top antitrust official said enforcers have already opened several investigations in the agriculture sector, including into meatpackers at the direction of President Donald Trump, and called the industry a "top priority" for the agency.

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